


Laugh

by tiedyeflag



Category: Clockwork (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 09:49:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5781268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiedyeflag/pseuds/tiedyeflag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seeing Cog in low spirits, Leo cheers him up with a little funny trick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Laugh

**** With a huff, Cog shifted his weight to his other leg as he glared through the tall window on the opposite wall. He leaned back against his wall with his hands growing numb from holding a full pail of ice water. Gritting his teeth, he thought of unsavory things to call the passive aggressive politician that got him into this position.

“One of these days I’m gonna…” He muttered the rest, knuckles growing white as they tightened around the pail handle. Cog’s shoulders hunched over, as if ready to explode at the slightest disturbance.

“G’afternoon, kid!!”

“WAH!!” Cog wailed as his arms flailed up, dropping the pail and splashing the freezing water all over his orange striped jumpsuit and white tights. “Aw, gee whiz…”

“Whoa, didn’t mean to scare ya’!”

Cog looked up from the puddle at his feet, greeted by Leo’s familiar, tailored blue suit. He looked further, finding a white ascot and a friendly grin.

“It’s okay, it was an accident…” Cog removed his brown vest and wrung it out. “Geez, why’d that jerk have to use cold water?”

“What’re you doing out here all by your lonesome?” Leo crouched down to Cog’s level, but still towering over him by a few inches. As Cog wiggled his toes in his soaked socks, he glanced at Leo in thought. Leo may treat him like a child (like nearly everyone did) but at least he was nicer about it than his boss. 

Oh, just the thought of his boss made Cog’s blood boil all over again. He let out a growl and kicked the pail to the other wall.

“Alex made me do it.”

“Do what?”

“Stand out here and hold a bucket of FREEZING COLD water!”

“...Ahhhh, a punishment, I take it?” Leo scratched his mane-like beard. “Did you steal from his mustard stash or something?”

“Mustard stash?”

“Sounds like it wasn’t that, then…”

“I…He...” Cog’s lips grew taut with a frown. “He’s making me read a dozen books on ma-uhhh, I-I mean-A-Arcadian history so I can be a ‘better assistant’, and…”

“...and…?” Leo’s tail twitched curiously.

“...I...I called him one little name, THAT’S IT! And it wasn’t even a curse word! Just ‘ambASSadore’! Amb-ASS-adore!! Because he’s a big, no good ASSHOLE!!!” He flung his arms into the air and plopped angrily onto the ground. Then his eyes flashed wide before he groaned. “Great idea, sitting in a puddle of  _ ice _ water. Now my underpants are gonna be wet!” 

Leo said nothing, not daring to interrupt Cog, not even to chuckle at the hilarious nickname-he’d definitely tell that to his co-workers later for a good laugh. Presently, however, his tail drooped sympathetically at Cog as he tugged his trademark paperboy hat over his face, yelling incomprehensible curses into it.

“Hey, kid…” His hand drifted towards Cog’s shoulder. Just as it brushed against fabric, Cog stiffened.

“Go away…”

Fingers twitching, Leo retreated his hand and stood. After an awkward silence, he turned and walked away, tail stuck between his legs in dejection. With each step, his mind wandered further...Cog, legally an adult but still a kid. And a homesick one, maybe. Or even lonely.

_ “It’s my, uh...f-first time...leaving home...and, uh...leaving friends...y’know, being by...by myself...so…” _

Leo’s pointy ears lowered. Poor kid...and Alex wasn’t exactly Mr. Sunshine. Intense and creepy fitted him much better. Leo even confessed so himself!

His thoughts stopped short as one of his toenails-or claws-caught onto a loose thread in the blue rug. He knelt down and pulled his toe free, making a mental note to clip his toenails tonight. As he rose, his eyes trailed down the long hallway, where the rug continued. It led straight to Cog, likely still pouting in a lukewarm puddle.

Leo’s eyes lit with an idea sprouting in his mind. He glanced left and right, no one in sight. A grin crossed his face as he rubbed his hands together.

* * *

 

Crossing his arms over his knees, Cog bit his lip. His eyes no longer blazed with frustration, but stewed with loneliness. As his damp, cool clothes clung to his thin frame, he sighed and pulled his hat over his eyes again. 

_...fumph, fumph, fumph… _

A strange rhythm broke Cog out of his thoughts. He peered down the hallway, finding the far end of the royal blue rug rolling towards him. With each rotation came another  _ fumph _ sound. At last it stopped in front of him, and Cog blinked. He was agog at finding Leo’s upside down face in the center. 

After a pause, Leo cleared his throat and asked, “Did somebody order a large supreme  _ purr _ -ito?”

Silence, followed by the corners of Cog’s mouth twitching, and a snicker. Leo soon joined Cog, their laughs echoing down the hallway. Tears spilled from Cog’s eyes, the salty drops soaking the damp floor beneath. As he wiped away the final one, both men’s laughers died down to a comfortable silence.

It didn’t last long however; Leo cut it short by clearing his throat again. “So-um-now that you’re all cheered up, think you can do me a favor and help me out of this?” He shimmied, trying to wiggle free. 

“Sure!” Cog got to his feet and pushed on the side of the rolled up rug, but it didn’t budge. Cog scowled and grunted as he thrust his weight into it.

“Maybe we should get help…” Leo suggested. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Cog jogging away and stopping at the end of the hall.

“Cog…?” Leo hollered as he saw Cog turn on his heel.

In reply Cog raced forward, yelling a battle cry. He hurled his body into the rug, but crashed and immediately fell backwards. 

“Cog!! You okay?!” Leo stretched his neck to see, catching a glimpse of Cog’s brown shoe.

“Owwwwwwww…” Cog groaned “Probably wasn’t the best decision I ever made…” Just as Cog rubbed his sore shoulder, he heard a door open, followed by a dramatic sigh.

“What on earth is with all this ungodly  _ racket _ ?” Alex’s glare found Cog, who smiled uneasily back.

“Alex! Great timing!” Leo beamed. “Give me a hand and help me roll out of this thing!” 

Running his eyes over Leo and the layers of rug surrounding him, Alex remained as still and silent as a polished gem. At last he ran a slender hand down his face. “I don’t even want to know…” He lowered his hand and turned sternly back to Cog. “And may I ask why  _ you _ aren’t holding the pail like I instructed?”

“I-u-uh-you see…”

Leo cut him off with a cough. “Never mind about that, sir. How about helping your best friend out of a... _ tight spot? _ ” He finished with a playful grin.

Cog giggled. “Yeah, you’d better do it before he ruins the rug, because that’ll be...  _ carpetal damage! _ ”

Alex groaned as he slid his hand down his face again. “Was that absolutely necessary?”

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t choose the  _ rug _ life!! Pfff-ahahaha!!”

“Oh, c’mon kid!” Leo said. “That’s not true! You lie like a rug!! AhahahaHAHAHA!!”

“Uugh…” Alex turned and headed back inside his office, fingers brushing against the cool brass doorknob.

“Sir, wait, stop!!” Leo cried. “Help me out of this thing! I promise we’ll stop making bad puns! Right, Cog?”

“O-Okay...I guess they are getting a bit  _ rug _ -diculous, heh.”

_ SLAM! _

Cog and Leo stared at the shut door which locked from the inside with a crisp click. Growling through his gritted teeth, Cog tossed his hat down and stomped erratically on it like an angry baby rabbit.

“Gee wiz gee wiz GEE WIZ I didn’t even mean to make that last one!”

“Don’t worry, it’s my fault, I’m the one who started it…” Leo sighed. “Just go and get help before my tail falls asleep.”

“Wait, your tail can do that?” Cog asked while grabbing and fixing his beloved hat.

“Yeah, and in my opinion it’s the weirdest feeling in the world…” Leo cringed.

“I can imagine...but don’t worry, I’ll get you out of there in no time!” Placing his hat back on, Cog spun around and dashed down the hallway. “Just hang tight, I’ll be right back!!”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm starting to catch up to balancing out the smut mwahahahah TAKE THAT ALL YOU SINNERS.


End file.
